National Drink Wine Day: Wine Pairing Menu

18 Feb National Drink Wine Day: Wine Pairing Menu

We’ve prepared for you a wine pairing menu to celebrate national Drink Wine Day! We are directly located across the street from the State Wine Store, which makes it easy for us to peruse the aisles to find perfect wines to serve along side our delicious dishes. However, what if you don’t know how to pair wines to the varying courses of your dinner?

We did the leg (or rather finger) work for you and tracked down the information via the WWW to help you know which wines pair well with which foods and created a menu with said knowledge. We hope it gives you inspiration for your next dinner party as well as gives you a clearer understanding of wine pairing!

Wine Pairing Menu

Starter:

Start your party with an assortment of cheeses, fruits, nuts and smoked meats. At this point, your guests can choose to pair the appetizer with either a light red wine, like a Pinot Noir, to compliment the salami and cured meats. Or they can pair with a bold red, like a Syrah or a Cabernet Sauvignon, to compliment the hard cheeses like cheddar and Parmesan.

Salad:

Our Heirloom Salad features mixed greens, candied pecans, crumbled feta cheese, and seasonal berries (in this case: blackberries) tossed together with a balsamic vinaigrette. Serve this alongside either a dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris, to compliment the mixed greens and earthy feta. Or serve it with a sweet white, like Moscato or Riesling, to compliment the sweetness of the berries and candied pecans.

Entrée:

For the main course, your guests will love rosemary pork tenderloin served with roasted potatoes and gravy paired with a medium red wine, like Merlot or Cabernet Franc. Be sure to serve the wine at “Cellar Temp” – just slightly below room temperature but certainly not cold.

Dessert:

A dessert wine, such as Sherry or Port, is always paired with dessert. Dessert wine is served at a cool room temperature, around 68 degrees fahrenheit. Finish off the night with a selection of delightful sweets such as raspberry mousse, chocolate trifle, cherries jubilee crepes and, of course, chocolate!

Want to learn more about wine and how to pair it with food to get the most flavorful experience? Here are some helpful infographics courtesy of winefolly.com!